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Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher on RBs, OL, Everett Golson and more

Believe it or not, Jimbo Fisher answered “football” questions for about half of his hour-long session with reporters from the ACC Kickoff this week.

Here are some quick-hits from the non off-the-field-controversy questions, some of which I will be delving into deeper in the next two weeks.

* Okay, this kind of crosses both lines, but Fisher was asked about how he is looking at the running back position with Dalvin Cook indefinitely suspended as his battery charge plays out in the legal system.

Fisher said he understands he may not have his leading rusher from 2014 for the entire season and reminded us how well Mario Pender was playing until injuring his ankle at Syracuse. Pender opens camp No. 1 on the depth chart at tailback.

“If Pender doesn’t turn his ankle at Syracuse, you may not have seen Dalvin,” Fisher said. “People forget that day, Pender was playing extremely well. We have very good players, Jacques (Patrick), Johnathan Vickers and everybody else. Those guys are all great players. We always go as if, ‘What if he turns his ankle? What if he blew his knee?’ Those are all things you always plan on as a coach.”

* The injury report was encouraging with Fisher declaring LB Reggie Northrup (knee), DE Josh Sweat (knee), LB Terrence Smith (foot) and S Tyler Hunter (knee) should be ready to go for the start of spring. LB Matthew Thomas (shoulder) will need more time to recover and will miss the start of the season and maybe more.

A healthy Sweat, who missed most of his senior season in high school last season after tearing his ACL, could be a big boost to the defense. Fisher said he will be “included in practice” very early.

“He has to get some conditioning back,” Fisher said.

* The lack of depth at linebacker does not concern Fisher considering most of the time the Seminoles are in the nickel with just two linebackers on the field.

“We’ll go in with seven guys and basically because most everybody plays three and four wide, you’re in nickel 70 percent of the time,” Fisher said. “So if you’ve got seven players for two positions you’re still three deep. I don’t think that’s as thin as you have. But again experience wise and things like that, we’ve got to keep developing them.”

* Fisher, CB Jalen Ramsey and K Roberto Aguayo all were asked about QB Everett Golson and his first few weeks on campus. All agreed Golson, who has one year of eligibility remaining after transferring from Notre Dame, is fitting in well.

“He and the team have done a really good job of being very cohesive,” Fisher said. “He likes the players. He really gets along with them. The guys that I have spoken to have spoken very highly of him.”

* Fisher has not backed off his excitement for the offensive line. He told boosters during the spring he was worried about the offensive line entering the spring but coming out of the practices he was as high on them as any group.

“That was one of the areas in which we wanted to address,” he said. “I thought coming out of spring practice, I can see where this thing is going and what the future is. We’re probably as deep in the position as we’ve ever been.”

Rod Johnson, the 6-6, 330-pound left tackle, anchors the line. He is joined by tackle Chad Mavety, guards Kareem Are and Wilson Bell and center Alec Eberle.